Draft-rigging



No. 609,70I.

Patented Aug. 23, I898. W. M. PIPER.

DRAFT BIGGING.

(Application fl1ed Oct. 1, 1897.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED. STATES PATENT Fries.

IVILLIAM MORGAN PIPER, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

DRAFT-RIGGING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 609,701, dated August 23, 1898.

Application filed October 1, 1897. gerial No. 653,721. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM MORGAN PIPER, of Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Draft-Riggings, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in'which- Figure 1 is a top plan view, partly broken.

away, of one form of my improved device. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same; and Figs. 3 and 4 are views similar, respectively, to Figs. 1 and 2, showing another form of the device.

My invention relates to that class of devices for taking up strains of a compressive or pullin g naturesuch, for example, as set forth in my United States Letters Patent No. 566,935, dated September 1, 1896, wherein a block or blocks having oppositely-directed inclines are employed, these inclines contacting with a spring-actuatedwedge or wedges and is designed to provide an improved device of this character in which a series of the blocks and coacting wedges may be combined together compactly and in a small space and may coact in such a manner as to provide for cushioning shocks varying from a light to a very heavy blow.

To that end it consist-s in a seriesof separate cushioning devices, each device com plete in itself, the devices being arranged side by sidein tiers and acted upon by the longitudinally-movable bar.

It also consists in a series of the said blocks and wedges arranged side by side, either in a vertical or horizontal direction, these blocks being preferably arranged so as to act successively.

The invention further consists in the construction and arrangement of the parts, as hereinafter described, and set forth in the claims.

In the drawings, referring to Figs. 1 and 2, in which I show a quadruple arrangement of my device, 2 2 represent the draft-timbers of the car, 3 the end sill, and i the draw-bar, to which the ordinary coupler-head may be attached. The draw-bar rests upon the ordinary carry iron 5, and to its rear end is secured a yoke 6, which surrounds the draft device proper. This device in these figures consists of a quadruple arrangement of blocks and wedges arranged in two decks or tiers, each tier having sliding end blocks 7 7, provided with inner oppositely-inclined faces, as shown, and an intermediate block 8, between which and the end blocks are located the pairs of wedges 9 9, which are normally forced apart by the coiled springs 10. r The inclined faces of the blocks and the faces of the wedges are preferably provided with corresponding ribs and grooves 11, by which the wedges are guided in their movements and held in proper position. The rear end block of the lower pair is tied to the front end block of the upper pair by a connecting bar or bars 12, as shown in Fig. 2, so that any strain brought upon either tier will be transmitted to the other tier.

13 are guide-plates secured to the inner sides of the draft-timbers and in contact with which the blocks move, these guide-plates being secured'by through-bolts 11. To hold the blocks and wedges in place duringtheir movement, I provide top and bottom plates 15, which cover the edge portions of the blocks and are preferably secured in place by bolts passing through recesses formed by bending or shaping the guide-plates as shown at 16. The front block of the upper tier is located slightly back of that of the lower tier, so that a compressive strain upon the draw-bar will cause the same to act first upon the front block'of the lower tier. The acting faces of this block are inclined at a comparatively sharp angle, that of the rear block of the lower tier being at a somewhat less angle, and the front and rear blocks of the upper tier having successively smaller angles than that 'of the rear block of the lower'tier, so that these four cushioning devices will act successively, they being preferably so arranged that the wedges of the lower tier will be forced in their entire limit before the devices of the upper tier come into action. It is evident arrangement of the cushioning devices and their successive action whether obtained in these or other ways.

To prevent injury to the draft-timbers and hold the draft devices more firmly in position, I may employ straps or yokes 1'7, which surround the draft-timbers, the upper cross-bolts 18 of these yokes having pivoted dogs 19, which bear upon plates on the upper faces of the draft-timbers. As these yokes engage the side plates or other suitable part of the draft device, any endwise strain upon such draft device willbe communicated to the dogs, which will bind upon the draft-timber and hold the parts firmly in place without the necessity for additional bolts, which would weaken the timbers.

In Figs. 3 and 4 I show a somewhat similar construction, wherein three tiers of the cushioning devices are employed, these tiers being used without connecting-bars, the end blocks of each tier being placed somewhat back of the end blocks of the next tier beneath, so that the draw-bar or its yoke, in either direction of movement thereof, will act first upon the lower tier and then successively upon the upper tiers. Numerals with the exponent a in these figures designate the parts corresponding to the similar parts in Figs. 1 and 2.

In every form the springs and wedges are preferably so arranged that the wedges will reach the limit of their movement before the coils of the springs contact with each other,

thus preventing liability of breaking the springs.

The advantages of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, since a draft device is thus provided which is compact and simple and which will cushion a strain of either a compressive or pulling nature, whether such strain be heavy or light.

The number of the wedges and coacting blocks, the angle of their coacting faces, and the general form and arrangement of the parts may be varied without departing from my invention, since I claim- 1. The combination of a series of separate cushioning devices, each device being complete in itself and containing moving friction parts, the moving parts of one device being independent of those of the others, said devices being arranged side by side in tiers and operating independently of each other, and a longitudinal bar extending transversely of the series and arranged to act upon the devices.

2. The combination of a series of separate cushioning devices, each complete in itself, the series being arranged side by side in tiers, of a longitudinally-movable bar arranged to operate said devices successively.

3. The combination with a series of cushioning devices arranged side by side in different tiers, each device containing a block having oppositely-directed inclines, wedges contacting with the inclines, and a spring arranged to resist the movement of the wedges along the incline, of a longitudinally-movable bar arranged to actuate said devices.

4. The combination with a series of cushioning devices arranged side by side in tiers, each device containing a block having oppositely-directed inclines, and spring-pressed wedges contacting with the inclines, a connection between the block of one device and that of another, and alongitudinally-movable bar arranged to actuate the series.

5. The combination of a series of cushioning devices arranged side by side in tiers, each device containing a block provided with oppositely-directed inclines and spring-pressed Wedges contacting with the inclines, a yoke surrounding the series, and a longitudinallymovable bar to which the yoke is secured. 6. The combination with a longitudinallymovable bar, of a yoke secured at the end thereof, transverse blocks arranged side by side in tiers within the yoke, the end block of one tier projecting beyond that of the other, and spring-pressed Wedges coacting with oppositely-directed inclines upon the blocks.

7. Adraft-rigging comprisinga couplerhaving a draw-bar provided with an end yoke, a series of transverse blocks extending through the yoke and arranged side by side,said blocks having oppositely-directed inclines, springpressed wedges contacting with the inclines,

and a connection between the end block of one tier and the opposite end block of the next tier.

8. A securing device for draft-riggings consisting of a yoke arranged to surround the 

